Medieval Courtyard Design

Khosrow Bozorgi is an endowed professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma’s Gibbs College of Architecture. He earned his undergraduate degree from the National University of Iran (1975) and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (1980s), specializing in design theory and architectural history. Dr. Bozorgi founded OU’s Ph.D. Program in Planning, Design, and Construction and established the Center for Middle Eastern Architecture and Culture. His research examines architectural and urban morphology across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. With 40 years of experience at leading American and French firms, he has contributed to major projects across three continents. A Presidential Professor and Graham Foundation grant recipient, his scholarship includes “The Philadelphia House” (2023), exploring how architects blend design principles with local American traditions.

• SECTION ONE: Introduction and Foundation Chapter I: The Courtyard as Adaptable Concept (Khosrow Bozorgi) Chapter II: Convergent Evolution in Courtyard Architecture: A Cross-Cultural Analysis (Khosrow Bozorgi) SECTION TWO: From Cross-Cultural Precedents to Archetypal Urban Formation Chapter III: Paris Courtyards: Definitions and Diversity (Peter Soppelsa) Chapter IV: The Courtyards in Florentine Domestic Architecture of the Medieval and Renaissance Periods (Gianluca Belli, translated by Khosrow Bozorgi) Chapter V: The Courtyard in the Middle Ages Civil Architecture in Siena (Fabio Gabbrielli and Michele Pellegrini, translated by Khosrow Bozorgi) Chapter VI: Granada’s Architectural Legacy: A Study of Historic Courtyards and the Alhambra (Juan Manuel Barrios Rozúa) Chapter VII: Yazd’s Spatial Hierarchies: Courtyard Typology and the Genesis of Urban Form (Khosrow Bozorgi) SECTION THREE: Synthesis and Conclusion Chapter VIII: Patterns of Spatial Consonance: Courtyard Architecture as a Collective Language (Khosrow Bozorgi)